On Simplification . . . (Old Year’s Eve message – 2006)

 

 

"Consciousness or the spiritual essence is similarly the unifying factor that underlies all forms in this universe that are apparent as different objects to our superficial, physical gaze. All such objects hold, within their apparent diversity, this inner Unity of Consciousness."
(Swami Sri Chidananda)

     

 

On our calendar, the old year is almost over, and a new year lies ahead of us – again. Yes, we’ve been here before, have we not? So what has changed since our last time here? Sure, there have been developments and changes in your world and mine and in some ways and on some levels we are a little different maybe, or perhaps not all that much. Some of us have had significant changes and some of us not all that significant, but for almost all of us, we are really very much the same person we were at this time last year, and seen in such a way, really very little has changed.

 

Most of our fundamental issues and troubles are still the same. We still love in the same way (though maybe not the same person or people), and if we hate, our hate looks the same as it did a year ago. The quality of our experience of pain seems the same and so do our joys and our pleasures, and certainly fear is still fear to us in the same way as it was last year – the same as its always been. So some things it seems change, and some do not.

 

The world of Yoga is more concerned with the things that do not really change since they are of an essentially deeper nature than those that come and go – the stuff of the material world and the mental world. Both these types of stuff (physical and mental) are seen as being contained within an even more longer-lasting (if not eternal) realm that we sometimes refer to as the “spiritual” world. In Yoga we see the human condition as existing of three “sheaths” called the physical, the mental, and the spiritual sheaths. They are said to be sheaths because they envelop these aspects of the human being.

 

The physical sheath pretty much ends at the skin. The mental sheath ends at the distance (or depth) your thoughts can reach (which is pretty far, as you can imagine – no pun, well, ok then, a little one), and the spiritual sheath is said to have no real limits, but can be thought of as a sheath while it is conceptualized rather than directly experienced. I wanted to introduce the sheath concept because it is so fundamental to Yoga and because right now it serves as a nice example of what is to follow on simplification.

 

The sheath concept is one of many in Yoga. Some concepts are much more complex and some can be extremely difficult to really get a handle on.  For example, another central idea in Yoga-life is that of the Chakras (the spinning wheels of different colored energy centers up the spine that are of atomic size and also power (remember the atom bomb?) and concepts such as the Third Eye and reincarnation and aura’s and Kundalini and other inner energies, and the Gunas (the three Qualities), and on and on and on. It gets a little heavy for many of us and overwhelming for most of us. But here is my point: Relax.

 

Look, not all of us are cut out to be yogis and not all of us can even begin to accurately or comprehensively understand some of the realities behind some or all of these concepts. And while they can be helpful at some point in your evolution, I am suggesting that they can also be or become distractions to your work of really trying to get on with your life and ultimately trying to find out who and what you really are, and how you fit into the greater scheme of things, which is really your destiny and purpose on earth. 

 

Who cares if you will or will not be reincarnated, and if then you will be a snake or a bird or a pig or an ant eating away at my shed? What does it really matter? If and when the time comes that this becomes required knowledge for you for further evolution you will probably already be aware of the facts behind the reincarnation issue or any of the other Yoga concepts.  Let it go. Simplify. Don’t worry too much about these things or spend a lifetime trying to figure it out while you could rather be occupied with the much more simplistic, relevant, and fundamental issues of your very own existence in the here and now.

 

So what are these fundamental issues one should be occupied with?

 

Well, from Yoga comes this advice; you should, for yourself and by yourself carve out, refine and hold a life philosophy that adheres to some basic (albeit yoga-like) principles, the first of which is that there are two types of “things” in this universe – some that change and are called relative, and some that don’t change and are called Absolute.  Also, that both the thing you call “me” as well as the Thing doing the calling – that which references “me” (called your Self) - exist as that Absolute-relative existence in a conscious way. The yogis refer to this as Sat-Chit-Ananda, or Existence-Consciousness-Bliss which is taken as the closest and most correct definition of the Self to this point.

 

This fundamental principle of Absolute-relative in You, even if you cannot fathom it with your mind (which you cannot), you can know it intuitively. In fact, you know it right now as That which exists in the very, very silent and unmoving center of your world of experience and which you cannot deny. That which is the same today as yesterday and last year this time, and the year before, and the years before that – even beyond your name - but which is at the center of your universe.

 

That existence you know you are this very instant – that You, not your relative ego-created “me” - is Absolute. Your body and your mind are relative things – they are of the nature of things that have a beginning and a middle and an end. But You (your spirit or soul or being or whatever you want to call it) is Absolute and does not change. You are still the same You today as yesteryear. The experience is relative and the experiencer is Absolute.

 

Once you have made this inner known distinction into a life philosophy (which is an ‘external’ mental process that points inwards all the time), you are well on your way and you can really free-wheel it from there for the most part. Forget the other stuff until you get to them naturally.

 

Soon you will come to know that your body and your senses and your mind function sort of to the so-called outside of this Absolute You. Then you then recognize that there is this inside-outside concept that develops for your understanding. On the outside is the world with all its phenomena (yes, you know this part well) for which you gear yourself by eating and sleeping and working and learning and making money, and for society and friends and relationships and so on. But you now also come to know that the body and the mind are lesser parts of the Whole Absolute You and that somehow, by some almost divine urge or drive (usually because of the external suffering and discontent) you have to find some way to get closer to this estranged You.

 

If you are this fortunate, and my Friends, few are, you come to some amazing conclusions by the mere (still external) new philosophy you have – first of all is that the outside (body and mind) is restless and always in motion, and that the inner You is the strong silent type supporting it all – and so to get closer to the inner You, you need to lessen the activity and noise. It is then that you realize you can really only do that by becoming quiet and still.

 

The pursuit and practice of this stillness is called meditation and I will explain more on meditation in other writings here, but it is in essence as simple as it sounds – well, almost – in that you keep your body still – very still – and you do this in a very quiet place and for as long as it is possible for you, which, believe me, in the beginning is mere seconds. Try it now. Sit with absolutely no bodily movement at all. Time yourself. See how difficult even a minute or two is? Now close your eyes and keep the eyeballs from moving. Hmm, yes, it is a battle if you are just starting out.

 

Don’t be discouraged. It takes a little time, some practice, some courage, some endurance, and above all, a desire to do it. But if you are reading this now, most likely you already have some interest and you probably have this interest because you are looking to become closer to your Self. And you want to do that because you know You exist. And you know that because you have evolved to a level where you can discriminate between the unreal and the real – between the relative and the Absolute, and because for those who have so evolved, meditation is the next logical step towards further evolution, to not even mention the high degree of dissatisfaction and unease with the current state of your material, relative, outer existence.

 

And so, my Blessed Friends here and now, welcome to your next stpe - the Path of meditation.

 

Namaste.

 

 

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